The present invention relates to an article storage device of a motorcycle.
In a motorcycle, particularly, of a scooter type, an article storage device or compartment of box structure having a large capacity capable of storing or accommodating a large article such as a helmet or the like is provided below a seat formed so as to be opened and closed. As conventional examples of an article storage device (or box) of the type mentioned above, there are, for example, structures shown in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. HEI 1-148679, Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open Publication No. HEI 1-58388 and Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. HEI 6-156344.
In such conventional examples, the article storage box disposed below the seat is formed of synthetic resin in shape of a bottomed container having an article access port opened above, and the storage box is provided with an article access port having an opening area which is equal to or more than an area of a bottom surface of the storage box so as to provide a taper shape narrowed in the whole structure towards the lower portion thereof. This is because of intending to make simple a die to be used and improve a draft property at a time of forming the storage box, as well as to enable the storage boxes to be stacked, and hence, improve a transferring efficiency thereof.
However, in a scooter type motorcycle, independent frame covers are provided in both sides of the article storage box, and each of the frame covers is formed so as to be expanded in a width direction towards the lower portion thereof in order to cover both side portions of a power unit installed below the storage box in a standing attitude. Therefore, an unnecessary dead space is formed between the storage box having a taper shape narrowing towards the lower portion and the frame cover having the width expanded towards the lower portion. Furthermore, the dead space will be easily formed in front of and at the rear of the storage box, and hence, the article storage box is made small in storing capacity in comparison with an outer appearance.
Furthermore, in order to accommodate a helmet or like article in the storage box, it is necessary to align the bottom surface area of the storage box with a size of the helmet. However, since the storage box is formed in the downward narrowed taper shape, an opening area of the article access port becomes larger than the size of the helmet, and it is unavoidable that the seat closing the article access port becomes necessarily large scaled, so that not only a sitting feeling (a step-over easiness) and a foot placing property of a rider and a passenger are deteriorated, but also a design of the motorcycle will be damaged.
On the contrary, in the case of increasing the capacity of the article storage box, in particular, increasing a longitudinal size of the storage box so as to make it possible to accommodate or store an article having a long size or scale such as tennis racket or umbrella, it is hard to place the helmet and the other small articles at a fixed position within the storage box, thus providing another disadvantage such that these articles roll within the storage box and the article itself and an interior portion of the storage box will be damaged.
In such case, a hook or the like member may be provided within the storage box to prevent the article, such as the helmet or the like, from rolling and the article is fastened and fixed by using a rope, a net or the like. However, in the case of storing a large article, there is a fear that the hook protruding in the storage box damages the article.
An object of the present invention is to substantially eliminate defects or drawbacks encountered in the prior art mentioned above and to provide an article storage device of a motorcycle capable of effectively utilizing a dead space in an interior portion of a motorcycle (vehicle) body and improving a productivity of an article storage box while maintaining an increased capacity of the storage box without deteriorating a sitting feeling and a foot placing property of a rider and a passenger.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an article storage device of a motorcycle capable of preventing an article such as helmet, small article and the like from rolling within the storage box and accommodating a long article such as umbrella while making it easy to access the article, as well as safely forming a hook within the storage box.
The above and other objects can be achieved according to the present invention by providing, in one aspect, an article storage device of a motorcycle in which a seat member has a structure including a rider seat section and a pillion section which is continuous to a rear portion of the rider seat section and the article storage device is arranged below the seat member, the article storage device comprising:
an article storage box as a body of the storage device disposed below the seat member; and
an article access port formed to the article storage box and opened upward in an installed state of the storage box, the article access port being opened and closed by opening and closing the seat member,
wherein the article storage box is arranged to a rear portion of a vehicle body of the motorcycle and above a rear wheel, a recessed portion protruding upward is formed at a central portion of a bottom surface of the article storage box for preventing an interference with the rear wheel, the bottom surface has a front side portion in front of a top portion of the recessed portion inclined forward downward, the bottom surface also has a rear portion at the rear of the top portion of the recessed portion inclined rearward downward, and the article access port has a rear edge portion positioned at the rear of the top portion of the recessed portion.
In accordance with the structure mentioned above, the bottom surface of the storage box is formed to provide a recessed portion (shape), an interior portion of the storage box is separated into a front half portion and a rear half portion on the boundary of the top portion of the recessed portion, and the article such as helmet, small article and the like respectively accommodated in the front half portion and the rear half portion are prevented from rolling in a longitudinal direction due to the location of the recessed portion. Further, since the article access port is opened rearward from the top portion of the recessed shape, it becomes easy to access the article accommodated in the rear half portion of the storage box.
In another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an article storage device of a motorcycle in which a seat member has a structure including a rider seat section and a pillion section which is continuous to a rear portion of the rider seat section and the article storage device is arranged below the seat member, the article storage device comprising:
an article storage box as a body of the storage device disposed below the seat member; and
an article access port formed to the article storage box and opened upward in an installed state of the storage box, the article access port being opened and closed by opening and closing the seat member,
wherein the article storage box has an inner shape so that front side and rear side two full-faced helmets are longitudinally arranged in a state of directing upper portions thereof upward, the two helmets are respectively accommodated so as to direct, in attitudes, a bottom edge portion forward downward and direct bottom edge portions thereof rearward downward and the rear edge portion of the article access port is positioned so that at least a front portion of the rear side helmet faces an external portion.
In accordance with the structure mentioned above, since the front and rear two helmets are accommodated within the storage box in the state of directing the bottom edge portion downward, the front side helmet and the rear side helmet are respectively accommodated within the article storage box in the forward tilted attitude and the backward tilted attitude, it is possible to effectively prevent each of the helmets from rolling and to reduce a height of the storage box, that is, a height of the seat so as to improve a sitting feeling and a foot placing property of a passenger, and the rear side helmet can be easily accessed.
In a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided an article storage device of a motorcycle in which a seat member has a structure including a rider seat section and a pillion section which is continuous to a rear portion of the rider seat section and the article storage device is arranged below the seat member, the article storage device comprising:
an article storage box as a body of the storage device disposed below the seat member; and
an article access port formed to the article storage box and opened upward in an installed state of the storage box, the article access port being opened and closed by opening and closing the seat member,
wherein the article storage box comprises an upper box half body having the article access port and a joint opening portion opened downward and a lower box half body having a bottom surface and a joint opening portion opened upward and the respective joint opening portions are aligned and bonded with each other, the upper box half body is formed in a shape expanding downward towards the joint opening portion from the article access port, the lower box half body is formed in a shape expanding upward towards the joint opening portion from the bottom surface, and an opening area of each of the joint opening portions is made larger than an opening area of the article access port and an area of the bottom surface of the article storage box.
In accordance with the structure mentioned above, no dead space is formed between the storage box and frame covers attached to both sides thereof and in front and at the rear of the storage box, and a capacity of the storage box can be increased. Furthermore, since the article access port is not expanded in correspondence to an increase of capacity of the storage box, it is possible to prevent the size of the seat from being increased and it is possible to improve a sitting feeling and a foot placing property of a rider and a passenger. Moreover, a productivity of the storage box can be improved.
In preferred embodiments of the above aspects, the joint opening portions of the upper and lower box half bodies are formed with engaging flanges so as to protrude towards outer peripheral sides thereof, and the upper and lower box half bodies are integrally assembled by mating and bonding the upper and lower engaging flanges to each other and then gripping and fixing the same from the outer peripheral side thereof by means of a clamp member.
The pillion section is connected to the rear portion of the rider seat section to be higher by one stage and the article storage box is arranged below the pillion section, a protruding portion is formed to a front end portion of the article storage box so as to extend downward of the rider seat section, and a lid member for separating an interior space of the protruding portion from another space in the article storage box is formed therein so as to be opened and closed.
The lid member is provided to be independent from the article storage box and an article holding portion for holding the article in the protruding portion is integrally formed to the lid member.
The article storage box is formed with an expanded portion at a rearmost portion of the article storage box in a longitudinal direction thereof so as to protrude outside the rear edge portion of the article access port.
The interior of the article storage box is divided into a front half portion and a rear half portion so as to accommodate two full-faced helmets respectively in a state of directing top portions thereof upward, and an upper portion of at least the rear side helmet is pressed by the bottom plate of the seat member.
The interior of the article storage box is divided into a front half portion and a rear half portion so as to accommodate two full-faced helmets respectively in a state of directing top portions thereof upward, the respective helmets are defined in attitudes so that the front side helmet is directed forward the pillion section in a state that a vertical axis thereof is inclined forward and the rear side helmet is directed rearward the pillion section in a state that a vertical axis thereof is inclined rearward, and a height of a portion of the pillion section corresponding to a portion above a valley-like space formed between the front and rear helmets in a side view of the bottom plate of the pillion section is made lower than a height of a portion corresponding to a portion above the top portions of the front and rear helmets.
A plurality of recesses for accommodating hooks are formed to the bottom surface of the article storage box, the hooks are placed in the hook accommodation recesses, and a height of the hooks is equal to or lower than a height of the bottom surface of the article storage box. The hook is provided to be rotatable between an upright position and a tilt-down position thereof in the hook accommodation recess, to protrude from the bottom surface of the article storage box at an upright position and to retract below the bottom surface of the article storage box at a tilt-down position.
According to the above preferred embodiments, in addition that a bonding structure and a bonding operation between the joint opening portions of the upper and lower box half bodies can be made simple, the bonding portions are made compact so as to be useful for increasing a capacity of the storage box.
It is possible to effectively use the dead space, and the small article can be held and prevented from rolling by providing the protruding portion to the storage box and the lid member in the front end of the storage box. The long scaled article can be also accommodated by opening the lid member. Furthermore, the article storage box can be effectively formed and assembled.
The capacity of the storage box can be increased by utilizing the dead space formed in the rear portion of the storage box in the conventional structure as a usable storage space. Further, the article access port does not become large.
Still furthermore, it is possible to securely position the rear side helmet in cooperation with a rearward downward inclination of the bottom surface of the bottom portion of the storage box.
It is also possible to reduce the height of the pillion seat, increase a cushioning capacity (thickness) of the pillion seat and improve a sitting feeling and a riding quality of a passenger by longitudinally inclining the vertical axial directions of two helmets received in front and at the rear of the interior portion of the storage box.
Furthermore, there is no fear that the hooks get in the way at a non-use time of the hook, and the article is damaged, and it is possible to secure a large capacity of the storage box by making shallow the depth of the hook storage recess portion.
The nature and further characteristic features of the present invention will be made more clear from the following descriptions made with reference to the accompanying drawings.